abigailfaith

I am with you. I appreciate all the help I received from this board, but after many sleepless nights, shadowing and volunteer experience-I have decided to become a respiratory therapist. After becoming registered, I plan on becoming a neonatal/pediatric specialist. Many people have told me that RT careers go nowhere, but after all the research I have done and all the RT's I have talked to, I know that this career can take me many, many places and I will be happier. Throughout my career though, I will never forget everything I have learned on this board and I will always have the nurses backs wherever I work!

Here is my thing. As many of you know, I am getting ready to begin a nursing school that is every other weekend. I am currently volunteering at a hospital other than the one the school is at, and the nurses there do not support anyone going into nursing and many of them are unhappy all the way around. The hospital my school is through is a magnet hospital and the nurses there love being a nurse and stay there throughout their whole careers! Even the students in the school of nursing there are SO happy! I have considered going into respiratory therapy because they always seem happier with their career-but the only school around here that I could go is 60 miles away and between driving there 5 days a week (in winter also) and studying-I worry about the time I will lose with my daughter who is currently just under a year old. Anyways, I am asking if you think where you work can make or break how you view nursing as a career. This is such a big decision for me. I want to do what is best for my daughter in the long run, but of course I want to be happy with what I do. I know I like respiratory because of my volunteer work, but it is hard to determine if I will like nursing b/c of the attitudes of there also & this is a small area so that is the only hospital I will be able to work at.

Thanks so much to all of you! I am going to keep plugging along until I get my opportunity!!! Thanks for the advice, I will take all of it!

Yup, I pronounced it right. I will try what you said, thanks!

I was calling around today to find out about some shadowing opportunities and when I called the major hospital we have, I asked their nursing department if they had nephrology nurses. She asked to repeat what type of nurse, so I did and she laughed at me and gave me a resounding NO. I know they do transplants, dialysis and so on...did I have the name wrong? I have been reading about nephrology nurses all over the place and was very interested in it. Thanks!

Thanks for the reply! I did a pro/con list today the best I could and RT outweighed nursing for pros-but I could only go on what I have heard about both professions. My nursing is suppose to start June '05 b/c of the type of program it is, but I have to finish all my non-nursing courses first before I can start it and they keep filling it so there is risk of being pushed back another year. It is so hard! I felt so pulled to nursing, like I belonged there, but I worry so much about being like many students who think that and then they hit the "real" world and end up hating it! Then I would be starting all over. I really want to work with kidney patients so I thought nursing first and then today I found out that RT's do also! EEEKKK! Here is my question: Who works with them more? That will be my deciding factor. Thanks for the congrats! I appreciate it!

Yesterday I received an acceptance to a college that I had almost forgot I applied to! When I wasn't sure about the wait lists to nursing school, I applied to a college for respiratpry therapy and I was accepted! Now I am not sure what to do because with that degree, I will start 1 year sooner & finish 1 yr sooner and the pay is about $6,000 more a year (I know it is not all about $, but I want to do well for my daughter.) I was also looking forward to nursing...but the few nurses I spoke with and told them about this, they told me to take it and "run as far away from nursing as you can." It's tough b/c I have a family to think of first and without ever really "working" in either field, I don't want to make the wrong decision. Thoughts? Thanks!

Thank you for the thought. I have every intention of working on a med-surg floor at first when I finish school because of the invaluable skills I will gain. The thought of being a CNA made that thought a little less scary because of being able to learn the balancing of patient loads, lingo, sights and sounds along with just more of an understanding of the enviornment. I will not be starting any clinicals until towards the end of next summer and I would assume that any outside expereince could only benefit me. Benefits of home health aide is the flexibility and there is a class every month. Finding a CNA class is tough around here b/c it is a small area. Red Cross doesn't do it here, BOCES doesn't have one until fall and the local LTC facility might have one in June depending on how well the one that has already started goes. GGRRRR.

home health aide...i apologize for that:imbar

Hi everyone! I have seen SO many posts on the benefits of working as a CNA and I am about to begin a HHA class which then goes right into a job as one. The more I read about how helpful being a CNA was for many people, I am wondering if HHA is going to have the same benefits. :uhoh21: What would you recommend...HHA or CNA for a RN student? Thank you!

The hospital I had my daughter in just had a box that I took them out, like tissues, and they were just dry cloth that they told me to just wet with water.

No I would not

I know that some other professions pay based on education, but when you are talking about a profession that deals with people's lives...I just think a person with an ADN who has been in the field deserves a lot more then the person who just graduated with a bachelor's. Experience is important. If I go into the hospital, I don't give a crap where you went to school or if it was four year/two year...I want you to know what the hay you are doing. I think the BSN is great to enhance your career and open up more doors, but to just graduate and think you should be paid more then the nurse with an ADN who has been in the system is kind of snobby.

Hi! I am about to start my certification class for HHA in about a week. I am SO EXCITED!!! I will be attending nursing school and for some reason, doing this while in school felt more "right" for me then anything else. Anyway, the more I learn about home health nursing, the more I am falling in love with it! The agency I will be working for says that we don't have to go anywhere we are not comfortable with. Great, but even the homes with roaches have people in need too and I can't ignore that. (Can I?) Anyways, how do you deal with the gross homes? I am also slightly concerned about safety issues with violent patients who may not want me there. Will I be taught how to deal with these situations? Thank you!

Hi! I have decided on St. Joe's in Syracuse because of their weekend program and their reputation. I was wondering if anyone here has gone there (or know someone who does) and could just give me some insight. Thank you !